Confusion and Complications
by MannyZanders
Summary: Maxie asks Johnny to accompany her to Manhattan. JoMax


Authors Note: I own nothing GH related. Obviously, this doesn't strictly follow the storyline or timeline on the show.

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"_Her name is Noelle, I have a dream about her. She rings my bell. I got gym class in half an hour, oh how she rocks in Keds and tube socks."_

Maxie Jones cocked her head to the side and listened in amusement to the husky voice singing softly from under the hood of a pretty bright red sports car.

"_But she doesn't know who I am and she doesn't give a damn about me, 'cause I'm just a --"_

Johnny slid out from under the car, the words fading as he caught sight of the smirking blonde.

"Uh…hey Maxie."

Maxie laughed at his sheepish expression and raised an eyebrow at him, "Teenage Dirtbag – really?"

He shrugged, "What can I say – I'm eclectic."

She wrinkled her nose and he laughed, "It means I like all sorts of different things Maxie."

Maxie huffed, crossing her arms in front of her. "I've been hanging around Spinelli for over a year; I do now know the meaning of words bigger than mirror and shopping."

He held up his hands in surrender, "I wasn't calling you dumb Maxie."

"Don't worry, you wouldn't be the first person to think that." She muttered; eyes downcast as she hopped up on the desk behind her.

Johnny frowned at her, granted he hadn't really known her B.S. – _Before Spinelli_ – but sometimes he got the feeling as much as she protested that the computer genius had made her a better person; Spinelli made her doubt herself just as much.

It bothered Johnny for some reason. It was as if Maxie didn't get how truly lucky Spinelli was to have someone like her give him the time of day; let alone give so much of herself to him.

It grated on the young Zacchara that people seemed to want to endlessly remind Maxie that she was some sort of horrible person before her friendship with the geeky hacker. He honestly doubted Spinelli had really done anything other than anchor Maxie. She may have been adrift in the rocky seas of her emotions before him; but Johnny had a strong suspicion she was always the passionate, opinionated, intense and fiercely loyal person he had come to know. She was just more willing to let people see that part of herself now.

He didn't doubt the genuineness of the friendship between the two; but sometimes he wondered at Spinelli's motives. For someone who gave a damn good impression of being a loyal lapdog, he sure had flipped on Maxie awfully quick when that Fed had come along. And yet somehow, yet again; Maxie was the one apologizing, the one convinced she was a horrible person who'd let her friend down.

Somehow Johnny doubted that. He knew the whole story, he'd heard it from both Lulu and Maxie, but he'd come away with the impression that it was Spinelli who'd done the letting down.

For nearly an entire year; Maxie had done nothing but prove herself loyal to the young protégé of Jason Morgan. So why was it so easy for Spinelli to dismiss her fears, her misgivings over the sudden appearance of Spinelli's "fan" – and how the hell did he explain away believing a stranger over his best friend?

Johnny sighed. For someone who was _"just a friend" _himself, he sure was spending a hell of a lot of time lately thinking about the breathtaking blonde troublemaker.

"So?"

He shook his head slightly and looked at her blankly, "Huh?"

Maxie rolled her eyes, "You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?"

"Sorry."

"Whatever – if you can stop daydreaming about Lulu for five seconds, you'd know I just asked you for a favor." She huffed, then grinned at him.

He smiled wryly at her, "Shouldn't I be the one asking for favors, didn't you mention something about owing me for the night of the blizzard?"

She waved away his objections with a flip of her hand, "Oh please. Anyway – as I was saying, Kate asked me to represent Crimson at the Go Red Ball in Manhattan but I need an escort." She batted her eyelashes at him playfully and stuck her bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout.

God help him – the images that just put in his head were not of _the friend_ variety. Swallowing, he blinked and willed his body to get back under control as the fantasies he'd been having more and more flashed in his mind.

_Maxie, naked and panting, moving under him, her body sliding slickly against his._

He shook his head. "Uh…Maxie, I don't know how Lulu would feel about that."

_Maxie bent over the hood of the car behind them, in nothing but those damn heels._

She shrugged, "She already said she had no problem with it."

_Maxie on her knees in front of him, her eyes never leaving his. His hands fisted in her hair; her hot slick mouth surrounding him with her wet heat as she slowly…_/i]

He took a deep breath; he could barely control himself as it was. A night away from Lulu, away from Spinelli, just him and the hot blonde that had been filling his head lately? It screamed – bad idea. Really, really bad idea.

_Maxie in his mothers garden as she lay naked on a blanket amongst the flowers. Calling to him with a soft smile; her eyes full of promise and trust_.

Johnny smiled, "Okay."

She squealed and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, thank you Johnny. You won't regret it, I promise. We'll make our appearance and then we can get back to Lulu and Spinelli."

At the mention of Spinelli, he stiffened. "Speaking of that, why isn't Spinelli taking you?"

She shrugged her small shoulders, "Kate. She insisted on a "proper escort"." She rolled her eyes, "Personally, I think she's still bitter over Sonny marrying your sister. I think Spinelli reminds her too much of all that. But it's her magazine and she insisted I ask you to take me instead of Spinelli."

Johnny frowned. Spinelli reminded Kate too much of Sonny, but he didn't? His sister was married to the man; shouldn't he be the last person she'd want around her favorite protégé?

_Maxie in a revealing dress that clung to her curves, her small body pressed tightly against his as they danced_.

Whatever – Kate and all her neurosis weren't really his problem. He was just more than a little surprised that Lulu was okay with it.

"You sure Lulu said it was okay."

Maxie laughed, "Yes Johnny, I'm sure. Actually, she's fine with it, Spinelli on the other hand…" she sighed.

"Your boyfriend doesn't trust you?"

She shrugged at his question, "Spinelli knows me too well to really trust me."

Johnny's mouth dropped open, "That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say. Spinelli has already proven with that stupid Fed that his loyalty is the one that should be in question."

Maxie stared at him, clearly torn between being offended on behalf of Spinelli and grateful for Johnny's automatic defense of her. Finally she gave him a soft smile, "Thank you for that."

They stared at each other, something significant passing between them.

She cleared her throat and glanced away, "Besides – Spinelli's not my boyfriend, not technically anyway. We're taking it slow."

Johnny laughed, "Maxie Jones and slow – not exactly words that go together."

She grinned at him, "I know, right? But almost losing Spinelli in that damn fire that night, it changed things."

Johnny sighed – that fire had changed things alright. It had been the night everything changed for him. The night he realized there was probably more to his pushing Lulu away than just the secret of Michael's shooting….

---FLASHBACK---

_Nobody had ever accused a Zacchara of having too much common sense. And apparently Johnny was especially deficient in that area. _

_Because instead of walking the halls of Mercy in search of his girlfriend, he found himself in the car and headed towards General Hospital, or what remained of it at least. He didn't bother analyzing his motives; he didn't think he'd be able to come up with a plausible one no matter how hard he tried. Not one that would make sense to anyone, himself included._

_All he knew was that he had to find Maxie, needed to see for himself that she hadn't gone and done something stupid and foolish like rush back into the burning building to look for Spinelli again. It was a distinct possibility; and that scared him. She tried to deny how generous; how kind-hearted she was – but he knew she would run blindly back into the searing heat and life-threatening flames if she thought for one second she could save her friend._

_Although it made him inexplicably proud of her; mainly it just scared the shit out of him. The thought of anything happening to Maxie sent a kind of heart-pounding, panic-inducing tremor through that was probably better left unanalyzed._

_The girl was trouble, she lived it breathed it and certainly caused enough of it. Mainly for herself; but Johnny knew instinctively she was only moments away – if not heartbeats away - from becoming a world of trouble for him._

_It was only as he was desperately winding his way through the throngs of people outside the burning building that he felt himself breathe easier. There she was – looking beautiful and frantic, but she was there and not inside the fire and he gave a small thanks to a god he wasn't sure he even really believed in anymore._

_Only for his heart to drop in his stomach. Because just as he was moments away from reaching her, relief filled her face and she was moving across the barricades. Into Spinelli's arms and kissing him._

_Johnny realized it was probably better not to analyze the sick feeling that washed over him as he watched them. She was safe, that's all he cared about. _

_So why did he feel like he'd just been kicked in the gut?_

_Johnny gripped the barricade in front of him, this was Maxie. Maxie – he had no right to feel anything other than happy that she - and her friend - were safe. But that kiss, the way they were holding each other – he had a feeling, their friendship had just morphed into something more._

_He wanted to be happy for Spinelli, he knew – hell everyone in town knew – that the hacker had been hopelessly in love with the vivacious blonde for months now. _

_But he was far from happy. Emotions were clashing together within him, the bewildering sense of loss he felt; suddenly he wanted nothing more to be somewhere else getting very, very drunk. He had a feeling it was going to take quite a bit of alchol to control this sudden ridiculous impulse to beat the crap out of Spinelli._

_Johnny took one last glance before making his way back to his car; it was just this night. This crazy, hellish night – it had fucked up his head, turned him all around. Maxie Jones was nothing more than his roommate, his friend._

_Tomorrow – tomorrow, he would wake up and this night, these feelings would be a distant memory._

He was brought out of his thoughts by Maxie's bright smile as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks again Johnny. Kate trusting me to represent the magazine is a huge opportunity for me. I'll have Lulu give you all the information, you'll need a tux." She hopped down and gave him a quick wave as she left.

Johnny sighed – every instinct was telling him – he was asking for nothing but trouble by agreeing to this. How the hell was he supposed to survive a night alone with the object of his every fantasy lately? He shook his head; this was a very bad idea.

Oh well, he was a Zacchara – why start listening to reason and thinking logically now?


End file.
